Machine for pointing skewers



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' L. B. MONUTT. MACHINE FOR POINTING' SKBWERS.

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` No.378,v934. Patented Mar. 6, v1888.

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L. BQMGNUTT. MACHINE FOR` POINIING SKEWERS. 180,878,984. i Patented Mar. 8, 1888.

WITWESSES N. PETERS. Pl\okoLi\hug|-aphen Walhillglon, D. Q

UNITED STATES APirrisNT OFFICE.

LINDSAY B. MoNUT'I, OF ASHTABULA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MUNCIE SKEWER COMPANY, OF MUN GIE, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR POINTING SKEWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,934, dated vMarch 6, 1888.

Application iiled July 2, 1887. Serial No. 243,259. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINDsAY B. McNUTr, a

lcitizen of the United States, residing at Ashtabula, in the county of Ashtabula and State ofV Ohio, (assigner to the MUNcIE SKEWER GoM- PANY,of Muncie, Indiana) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Pointing Skewers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enaable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mechanism for pointing or finishing skewers or other small cylindrical blanks, of wood or other easily-y wrought material, such as are used in the manulfacture of pen-holders and analogous artic es.

The mechanism illustrated in the accompa` nying drawings is especially organized and adapted to point skewer-blanks, and I will conne my description chieiiy to mechanism used for this purpose; but it is manifest that the identical mechanism herein shown and described may be used for pointing, shaping, or ornamenting any cylindrical blanks-such as' pen-holders and other articles--by the mere change in shape, position, or number of cutters used7 as willpbe apparent to skilled artisans. I therefore wish it understood that I intend such obvious changes or modifications to be included within the scope of my claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved machine for pointing skewer-blanks by automatic mechanism, thus effecting asaving of time, labor, and material; and to this end t-he invention consists, primarily, in improved mechanism for rotating the blanksaxially as they are fed past the cutters, whereby the point is formed at the axial center of the blank.v y

The invention consists', further, in novel features and combinations, substantially as will 4be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is acutting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a corresponding detail view taken at the opposite end. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating the cutting mechanism. Fig. 7 is a detail plan 55 view illustrating the means by which the boxes and other parts are adjusted to accommodate different lengths of skewer-blanks. Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the gear-wheels F', the sleeve F carried thereby, and the frictional 6c feed-wheel F2. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the cutter-heads.

Upon a suitably-arranged table or frame, A, are mounted two standards, B B', carrying a cutter-shaft, C. This shaft projects at one end beyond its bearing, and is fitted with pulleys c c', the one c being adapted to receivea belt from any source of power, and the other, c', carrying a belt, d, transmitting motion to a pulley, d', keyed to a counter-shaft, D, jour- 7o naled in bearings secured to the frame below the platen a.

Brackets E E are secured adj ustably upon the platen a by bolts passing through longitudinal slots a c therein, as shown in'Fig. 7. 75 These brackets are provided with bearings e, within which are journaled sleeves F, provided at their outer ends with gear-wheels F and frictional feedwheels F2. To prevent endwise play of the sleeves F within their 8o bearings, they are fitted at their inner ends with adjustable collars f, as shown. For various reasons-such as economy of space, rigidity of structure, &c.-I prefer that gearwheels F be formed integral with the sleeve F, and that the flange vconstituting the web of the gear-w heel F be formed to receive a tire of rubber or some other exible material, rather than that the gear-wheel and frictionwheel F F2 be formed separately and after- 9o ward secured to the sleeve F, though this preferred construction is not essential.

Gr G designate two columns, which are adjustably secured upon the platen byboltspass ing through longitudinal slots ci a", correspending to the slots a e. These columns are arranged in such relation to the feed-wheels F2 as to bring curved ways or guides g, formed in or carried by said columns, opposite said wheels, the wheels and ways being concentric roo with each other, as shown, and the slots e a" ai e* of the platen a are, as shown in Fig. 7, of

sufficient width to permit of the adjustment of brackets EE' and columns G G' nearer to or farther from each other,to diminish or increase the distance between the peripheries of feedwheels F2 and the curved ways g.

The brackets E E are provided at points in a horizontal plane with the bearings e for sleeves F,with bearings c', in which a shaft, H, is journaled, one end of said shaft being extended to overhang the end of the platen and fitted with a gear-wheel, H'. Pinions hh' are secured to shaft H, and mesh with and drive gear-wheels F', carried bysleeve F, said pinions and shaft being connected by a spline and groove or other equivalent means, permit-ting the pinions to be moved lengthwise of the shaft, but causing them to rotate therewith to permit of the pinions remaining in mesh with gears F', notwithstanding the ad- 2o justment of brackets E E' longitudinally upon the platen.

Bolted rigidly to the columns G Gare hoods I, opening toward each other and at the top, and constituting conjointlya hopper to receive the skewer-blanks Z, said hopper opening at its lower end into a vertical feed-chute, ,which conducts the blanks in a single row to a metallic feed-apron, I', secured at its outer end to the upper ends of brackets E E', and eX- tending in just past the lower end of the feedchute 1'.

The shaft D carries at the end opposite pulley d' a small pulley, (Z2, connecting by belt with a pulley, L, mounted on a stub-shaft, Z, secured to the frame, and upon the hub of this pulley L is keyed a pinion, Z', to transmit motion through a pinion, M, to the gear-wheel H' of shaft H.

The pinion M is mounted on the stud carried by the free end of a link, m, pivoted to the frame, the arrangement being such that the link may be swung away from pinions Z' and gear-wheel H to throw pinion M out of gear with them, by which arrangement the gear-wheel H', shaft H, pinions h h', gearwheels F', and feed-wheels FZ are thrown out of operation, while the shaft C and cutter! heads continue to revolve. By thus providing the pivoted link m the feeding of the blanks may be conveniently and instantly stopped, when necessary or desired, without stopping the operation of the whole mechanism. A bracket, N, is bolted rigidly to this end of the platen a, said bracket being provided with astub-shaft, a, upon which is journaled a connected pinion and disk, a', the pinion meshing constantly with gear-wheel H', and the disk being provided with a wrist-pin carrying 011e end of apitman, O, the other end thereof being connected to the crank p of a rock-shaft, P, journaled in bearings secured to bracket N and to columns G G'. This rockshaft P is fitted at points in line with the curved ways g with arms R, provided at their lower ends with curved adjustable fingers r, the ends of which are so arranged with relation to curved ways g, apron I', and elastic feed-wheels F2 that as the shaft l? is rocked the points of the fingers will move back and forth, striking the blanks Z as they fall from the chute Z to the apron I', and forcing them in between the peripheries of feed wheels F2 and the curved' way, so that they may be carried on through the machine by the feedwheel.

The machine organized as herein shown and described is intended to operate upon blanks twice the desired length of the completed skewer, each blank being pointed at both ends and afterward severed to form two skewers; but, as before stated, the operation of the machine may be modified by changing the number or form of cutters or tools.

The cutter-heads C'are of less diameter than the feed-wheels F2, and are arranged eccentric thereto, projecting past the periphery of the feed-wheels on one side a distance equal to half the diameter of the blanks used. (Shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4.) The purpose of this arrangement is that the initial cut of a knife on a blank shall be quite shallow, and that the deepest cut shall not extend past the axis of the blank, The blanks are fed down the curved ways to the cutters by a rolling motion, and consequently all sides thereof are presented to the action of the cutters.

As the cutters, curved ways, and feed-wheels must be adjusted to suit blanks of different diameters and lengths, I have provided the means stated for adjusting the ways and feedwheels, and the cutter-heads may be adjusted longitudinally upon shaft C with relation to the adjustment of the brackets and columns by means of a set-screw, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. G, or in any other suitable and wellknown manner, and said set-screws may of course enter a suitable longitudinal groove (not shown) in shaft C. To adjust the cuttershaft laterally, I have provided the standards B with elongated slots b,through which pass the bolts which secure said standards to the platen. I also form the sleeves F of greater diameter interiorly than the exterior of the cutter-shaft, as the latter must be adj usted laterally within said sleeves.

I am aware that machines for pointing skewers have heretofore been constructed in which the pins or blanks are carried forward by a rotating carrier and the ends pointed by a revolving cutter while the pins are moving forward and rotating in their own axes, this operation being effected by worm-gear meshing with feeding mechanism working in a circular trough in connection with suitable cutters.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially as set` forth, of a frame having a slotted platen, curved ways, and feed-rolls carried by supports which are adjustable longitudinally and transversely upon the platen, and cutter-heads adjustable lengthwise of the supportingshaft with which they rotate.

2. The combination, substantially as set IOO forth, of the platen, the curved Ways and brackets supported abovethe platen, sleeves journaled upon the brackets and carrying feedrolls, and a cutter-shaft passing through said sleeves an'd having an independent lateral adv justrnent therein.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the platen, the curved Ways, and feedwheels supported above the platen, a hopper secured above the curved ways, a cutter-shaft, a rock-shaft carrying feedingngers operating above the apron, the apron disposed above the feed-whee1s and cutters and projecting toward the curved Ways, and intermediate devices connecting the cutter-shaft and rock- 1.5

LINDSAY B. MCNUTT.

Witnesses:

THEonoRE HALL, JOHN H. CoNLoN. 

